Raised on the Third Day

What a glorious day this resurrection Sunday!  Of course, we can and we do rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord on any day.  All the same, it is a blessing to think upon this time especially.  I think in part God has given us the year span with seasons in a way to separate events in meaningful ways.  When it is winter, we long for spring.  When it is summer, we long for the cool of fall.

Even looking back to the Old Testament, we see that God gave the people of Israel annual feasts or festivals to celebrate God’s goodness and His provision.  First of all, God told them to remember the Passover, how the children of God were miraculously delivered from captivity in Egypt.

We too celebrate deliverance at Easter.  We celebrate our deliverance from sin and death because of Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself on the cross.  Reflecting on that sacrifice, this year we are taking five weeks to complete a series of messages titled “Broken for Us” looking at what Jesus accomplished in the events surrounding his death and resurrection.

We started with a view to the prophecies which predicted our Messiah’s sacrifice, especially Isaiah 53.  This passage looks forward to the coming of the suffering servant.  Sometimes we overlook the vulnerability of our God.  It’s not that God is weak.  However, God chooses to expose Himself to pain and suffering and death.  He chooses to do this for us.

In the second message, Tim shared with us about Jesus’ death on the cross.  He shared the answer to the question of why God even needs to sacrifice Himself for us.  A perfect God must be loving and just at the same time.  He cannot overlook or ignore sin.  However, He can cover the punishment Himself by taking that punishment on Himself.

Last week’s message looked specifically at the righteousness of Jesus, His sufficiency as a sacrifice to appease or satisfy God’s wrath, to be our substitute, to reconcile us to God, and to give Himself as the ransom for all who trust in Him.

Next week, our series will conclude with a review of how God has fulfilled His promise to us.  And right now, we will look to the resurrection in today’s message.  Let’s pray.

Father God, we look to You.  We are amazed at Your mercy and Your sacrifice.  You made things right that we made wrong.  It is clear that Your work on the cross is complete because You have risen from the dead.  We praise You.  We are in awe of You.  We love You.  Amen.

In the last couple of weeks, we have looked at the crucifixion primarily in the accounts found in the gospels of Luke and John.  I would like to relate the events of the resurrection by retelling the story as one narrative.  The events below can be found in the following passages:  Matthew 27:62-28:10, Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-49, John 20:1-23.

Jonathan shared how after Jesus had died on the cross, He was placed in an empty tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.  John 19:38-42 gives a detailed account including wrapping Jesus’ body with 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, creating a big sticky perfumed mummy.  That was on Friday before sunset.  There is no Biblical account of what happened to the disciples on Saturday.  That would have been the Sabbath and the day of Passover.

There was one activity on that Saturday in the Bible.  The chief priests and the Pharisees went back to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor.  They told Pilate that Jesus’ tomb needed to be guarded because Jesus had foretold that He would rise again on the third day.   They were afraid that the disciples might come and steal the body and say that Jesus had risen.

A couple of observations:  1) Jesus knew He would rise again.  He said it Himself multiple times to His disciples and in public.  In fact, it had been communicated widely enough that the priests and Pharisees knew.  The fact that Jesus knew about the resurrection does not diminish His sacrifice.  Instead, it is one additional demonstration that He indeed is God in the flesh.  2) Jesus didn’t have to say He was going to rise again physically or bodily.  He could have said He would rise again spiritually.  No other person central to a religion ever said that they would physically rise from the dead.  Jesus said it and then He did what He said.  Amazing.

After the Sabbath, on Saturday evening, several women go and purchase spices in order to anoint Jesus’ body because they couldn’t shop during the Sabbath.

The story of the resurrection begins at sunrise on Sunday.  This is the reason you see sunrise services on Easter.  Several of the women who followed Jesus including Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.  There’s another earthquake!  (There had already been one at Jesus’ death on the cross.)  The angel of the Lord comes down, rolls back the stone covering the tomb.  His appearance is brilliant, a mix of lightning and new fallen snow.  Those guards, they pass out, becoming “like dead men.”  The angel speaks to the women telling them that Jesus has risen just as He said.  He invites them to come and see the empty tomb for themselves.  Then, he exhorts the women to go and tell the other disciples.

The women hurried away both afraid and filled with joy probably laughing and crying at the same time.  Mark says they were trembling and bewildered after their encounter with the angel at the empty tomb. 

The women go to the eleven and tell of the angel and what they had seen.  Their account is dismissed because it seemed like nonsense.  The expression could also be translated as a wild tale effectively wishful thinking.  The eleven did not know what to think apparently.  Peter and John however decide to investigate for themselves.

They finds the strips of linen lying separately in the tomb.  They are neat and orderly.  It does not look like someone unwrapped a lifeless body.  Remember the 75 pounds of sticky aloes holding all the linen wrappings together.  You couldn’t unravel that without making a mess.  Instead, it looks like the body passed through those linen wrappings without disturbing them.  Peter doesn’t know what to make of the scene and walks away wondering, puzzled about what had happened.  John enters after Peter and believes, while neither understood that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

Mary had returned to the tomb with Peter and John.  As they left, she stood by the tomb crying.  She turns and sees Jesus standing there, but does not realize it is Him.  He asks why she is crying.  Mary thinks Jesus is the gardener and asks whether he has taken away the body.  Jesus replies only with her name, “Mary.”  She turns toward him and cries out, “Teacher!”  Jesus then explains that He must first return to the Father.  Mary goes to the disciples with the new news.

Jesus seems to be having a rather mischievous, delightful sort of day.  Later in the day, Jesus appears to two more of His disciples who were not of the eleven as they walked along the road to Emmaus.  Jesus appears in a way that they cannot recognize Him.  They have a conversation walking along together.  Jesus pretends not to know of the events of the previous days.  The two disciples are quite downcast and incredulous of Jesus’ “ignorance.”  They relay the news describing Jesus as a prophet powerful in word and deed who had nevertheless been put to death by the chief priests and rulers.  They went on to say they had hoped Jesus was going to be the one who would redeem Israel.  They also told Him that they had heard of the women’s account of the empty tomb and the angels as well as others finding the tomb empty.

Jesus amazes the two by explaining all the Scriptures said about Him from Moses through the Prophets.  As they draw near to Emmaus, Jesus pretends to be traveling further but they urge Him to stay with them as the day is nearly over.  At the dinner table, Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, and breaks it.  He begins to give it to them, and their eyes are opened and they recognize Him.  At this instant, Jesus disappears.  And although they had begged Jesus to stay since the day was nearly over, they jump up and run back to Jerusalem bursting in among the disciples and others with them saying, “It is true!  The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

We don’t have an account of Jesus’ appearance to Simon, meaning Simon Peter one of the eleven.  However, I Corinthians 15:5 also explains that Jesus appeared first to Peter and then to the disciples together.  There was an encounter between Jesus and Peter on that first Easter Sunday, too.

Then, in the midst of this jubilant and startling account, Jesus appears, saying “Peace be with you.”  Again, there is fear and surprise bordering on shock.  Is it really Jesus?  Is it a ghost?  Jesus invites them to touch him and see that He is bodily risen, flesh and blood.  Their minds swimming, some are still unable to fully process it “because of joy and amazement.”  Jesus then asks for something to eat, and they give him a piece of broiled fish which he eats in their presence again demonstrating that He is no phantom but a real live person.

Jesus opens their minds so that they can understand the Scriptures telling them again that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.  (Psalm 16:9-11; Isaiah 53:10-11; Hosea 6:2) He explains what is to be done next, a time of waiting before preaching to all nations in the name of Jesus repentance and forgiveness of sins.

John’s account says that the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  At the Last Supper, Jesus had told them that now was their time of grief, but “I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”  (John 16:22).  Indeed, that is now what they are experiencing.  Peter later wrote in his first letter:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. –I Peter 1:3-4

This Easter season, I’ve been impressed by Philippians 4:19.

God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:19

God has unlimited riches.  I think of Psalm 50:10 which says that the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God.  God is the creator of the universe.  There is nothing in existence which came into being apart from God.  God’s resources are unlimited.  Only He can create something out of nothing.

His glory, though, has unlimited riches in Christ Jesus.  Why is that?  I think it is because there is no greater act of glory and valor than Jesus sacrificing Himself for us and conquering death.  There is no greater glory than what Jesus accomplished at the cross and then authenticated, ratified, and confirmed through the resurrection.

It’s been a couple of years since we had the series on the book of I Samuel, but you may remember from it or from your own Bible reading that God allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be captured because the people of Israel were trying to use it without really seeking God.  They thought they could make a power play on their own without asking God.  It was a spectacular failure, but Psalm 78 says something about even that which fits with Jesus sacrifice and resurrection.

He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor (glory) into the hands of the enemy.  –Psalm 78:61

That’s what the death of the Son of God seemed like.  God sent His strength, His Son, into captivity.  He sent Him into the hands of the enemy and with Him went His glory.  Most (if not all) of you know the story of the resurrection, so it may be challenging to be shocked or surprised.  But, this decision by God is shocking, scandalous even.  No, don’t do it!  Why?!  Don’t let Your Name be profaned!

We just finished our series on the book of Esther.  One of the great themes of that book is the grand reversal, the moment when the weakest and poorest and most shameful is suddenly elevated to the strongest and most honored.  While I was preparing this message, I listened to portions of Handel's Messiah.  In an introduction to one of the songs, the broadcaster Michael Portillo described the message of the Messiah like this, “There has never been a change message as big as this one.”  In fact, the third song in the Messiah is based on Isaiah 40:4 which says, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.”  The redemptive power of God is not something far off.  The power of the resurrection is near to all.

Some of you are waiting for a certain action movie to come out, something about the Avengers, I think.  The movie studio behind it has gone to incredible lengths to try and keep the story secret.  People have spent thousands of hours trying to figure out what might happen in one movie which will be old news in a couple of weeks.  There will be no transcendent lasting life-changing power from this movie.  And yet, it is treated like something of great value.

The resurrection story was leaked by Isaiah and Hosea 700 years before it happened.  It was leaked by David 300 years before them, a millennium before it happened.  God published the story Himself, in advance.  He said, “Look, this is what is going to happen.”  And here we are 2000 years after the event, and we’re still in awe.  Colossians 2:2 calls Jesus, “the mystery of God.”  “There has never been a change message as big as this one.”

See what great love (how great a love) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! –I John 3:1

What if He did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory.  –Romans 9:23

       

In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ... I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people… —Ephesians 1:7, 18

I’ve been dealing with a challenge in my work for going on three years now.  It’s something I’ve been tasked to work on, but it hasn’t actually gone anywhere unless you count going in circles.  The majority of my work time has gone into this.  In case you’re wondering, three years is a long time.  Even elephants aren’t pregnant that long.  (I was surprised to find that elephant pregnancies do last 95 weeks.  That’s nearly two years!  Whew!  I digress.)  Anyway, I found out this week that there is another delay for this project, at least four more months.  Talk about frustrating!

I was talking about it a little bit to a brother at the first of the week.  He said it sounded like the challenge was following God in the mundane.  And that is truly one of the challenges.  When you feel like you’re just spinning your wheels, it can be hard to get excited.  Questions just multiply.  God what are you doing in this situation?

I looked up the word mundane on Friday.  If you’re familiar with Latin or romance languages, you may not be surprised when I tell you that the first definition of mundane is worldly rather than the meaning which usually comes to mind: commonplace or ordinary.  Mundo, monde, mondo … world.  Mundane … of, relating to, or characteristic of the world.

The things of this world are fleeting.  They are passing away.  Things fall into a state of disrepair without attention and service.  The things of the world can only satisfy temporarily.  They cannot sustain eternally.  If we are surrounded by the world only, we will be empty and disappointed.  Honestly, that’s not a bad thing. 

It is one of the ways that God draws us to Himself.  Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”  If the things of this world ultimately satisfied, then we would not seek God.  And that would be a far worse tragedy.

The challenge, though, is how to find a vibrancy of purpose in the midst of the commonplace, the transitory, and the ordinary.  If you’re in the midst of these things, does it mean you’ve done something wrong?  I think about Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see any truly competent workers?  They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.”  What if you find yourself working for “ordinary people?”  Does that mean you’re incompetent?

Sometimes, I wonder.  And sometimes, change is necessary.  But what we must not forget is that God injects purpose into the ordinary.  If you feel trapped in an ordinary existence working for ordinary people, I would encourage you (and me, too), “Lift up your head, lift up your face, lift up your eyes!”

Those who have placed their faith in Christ do not ultimately work for ordinary people.  We serve God.  In fact, our suffering leads to glory.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. –II Corinthians 4:17

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. –I Peter 5:10

We only get lost when walking through the mundane if we exchange the truth of God for a lie.  Psalm 106:20 explains how the Israelites exchanged their glorious God for the image of a bull.  Romans 1 explains that wisdom decreases when thanksgiving and worship are neglected.  The person with the Spirit of God within them has the “mind of Christ.”  (I Corinthians 2:16)

I would recommend seeking a way to be generous with whatever God has given to you.  At the feeding of the 5,000, it was the lunch of a boy that Jesus multiplied, five loaves and two small fish.  Look for ways to give what God has given you.  Expressing gratitude is something almost anyone can do more.  I like to thank the people who clean our workplace.  Doing that encourages them, it usually draws a smile, and making someone else smile is encouraging to the person who initiates.  What if you challenged what the purpose of your day should be?  What if you counted how many times you made someone smile?  What if you counted how many times you expressed gratitude and then tried to best your previous high?

Jesus said some bizarre things.  Mark 10:43-45 is an eye popper …

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  –Mark 10:43-45

Even if you don’t want to be great, just look at the example that Jesus gave us.  It should be our goal to imitate Christ.  (I Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1)  Jesus came to serve and even to give His life.  If you want to have meaning in your life, I encourage you to give generously whatever it is that God has given you.  If He has given you encouragement, then encourage others.

Remember this: 

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  –II Corinthians 9:6

I don’t think we have to understand how it works.  I think in some ways, we aren’t even able to understand God’s ways. 

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! –Romans 11:33

His way is to show us the way.  Our way is to follow His way, whatever that might mean.  As Colossians 1:27 says …

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  –Colossians 1:27

It is God’s desire to reveal among the peoples of the earth the glorious riches of Christ in you and me.

The title of our message today is “Raised on the Third Day.” The message of the New Testament is “The Risen Savior.”

I found at least 20 passages which made the risen Christ central.  Sermons in Acts focus on Jesus raised from the dead.  (Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 37; 26:8) Romans circles back to the resurrection again and again.  (Romans 4:24-25; 6:4, 9; 7:4; 8:11, 34; 10:9) The other letters are punctuated with our risen Lord.  (I Corinthians 6:14, 15; II Corinthians 4:14; 5:15; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:12; I Thessalonians 1:10; II Timothy 2:8; I Peter 1:21)

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time … Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also … The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. –I Corinthians 15:3-8, 56-57

Indeed!  I want to close with a prayer from Scripture. 

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  –Ephesians 3:16-21